Well how y'all doin'!!!!
This is my "everyone" email because it looks like this is the fastest way to go!
So things that have happened this week: I found some lost sheep members. I found some crazy people. Bible bashed with some people. I've been taking magnificent strides in spanish and have been the witness of some miracles.
At the beginning of the week we were struggling. We just got in a fight with Carlos, one of our more stronger investigators. He does not want to quit drinking coffee. "it's a tradition not an addiction..... plus my body needs it because I start shaking uncontrolably when I don't drink it".......wait. that sound like an oxymoron to me. anyway his only defense is it's not mentioned in the bible and it got pretty bad. I was extremely sad to see his heart so hard as to not accept this easy task. He's even quitting smoking, just not coffee... he "needs" it.
So we were bummed out. just tracting with no success until we met a woman who said she went to church often in Bristol... She isn't a member, but she went every week. We came back later when her husband was there fully expecting to explain that we aren't Jehova's Witnesses'. Her husband, Isaac answered the door and immediately said "come in Elders." We came in and they fed us. It was crazy. We found out he is a member millionaire who owns farms internationally with 8 of his 25 kids. WHAAAAA!!!!! We were overcome. He said he's been through the Temple and he donated a million dollars to a bishop in Bristol to help rebuild a church and YET he drive an old 1970's Datsun truck and lives in a apartment compelx. He was backing up everything he said pretty good though. And he wants to baptize his "wife" (the woman we met earlier named Antonia."
Well We came back the next day upon his request to be fed. This time was a little different... Well he began to be all sketchy. He left open-ended thoughts like "I don't know how long i'll be in tallahassee." and we would ask Where would you go? and Why? and he wouldn't answer us or he would say something else about himself. Then he said His youngest son just came back from a mission in Mexico. "really? How old is he?" "19" he said........HUH? "Oh Yeah! they send them to Mexico younger. 16 or 17. you didn't know that?" he said. My heart fell as I realized that he might be straight up lying to us about everything. we don't even know if he is a member. On top of that, he admitted to not being married to Antonia because he's waiting to be married in the temple. Well, I thought, good luck with that while you're living with her.
Also we tried to explain the concept of 3 separate members of the godhead and got into a little bit of a fight. On the way out, we told him to teach his wife how to pray (just playing along until we're sure he isn't really a serial killer) and he said "OH she'll learn, or I'll just hang her. HAHA!"
Spirit left an hour ago and that made us scared for our lives.
Well we left that place fully intending never to return.
SO Friday we biked a ton. I prefer to bike than to drive. Biking is just better. Plus, I bought this $800 dollar bike and it's one of the best bikes in the mission and it FLIES uphills, of which there are many! All of our gators are 5 miles away too so we are forced to do at least 10 miles a day!
The new apartment is Great! BTW. very shiny. Very much like the Grand street house inside. I'll send pictures home. wood floors.
also, I painted my uke. It looks legit.
Well next story, Elder Bramwell and I Visited Carlos and Maria who are both married but to other people but are still living together. The fight we had last time was forgotten as we shared with them a message about faith and then heard various bits of news from Maria. First of her 55 year old body has taken a literal beating over the years as she face drugs and abuse from all sides and now she is more than willing to accept the true gospel. as a result of her earlier life she is facing health problems one of which is a cist she needs to get operated on and she asked for and was given a blessing healing earlier in the bibile-bash visit. Her faith is extremely strong. this would be the second blessinf given to her both of which she cried afterwards. WELL she followed up with us by sayibng that her cist in her side had not hurt from the second we gave her the blessing until now. She took that as an answer that this church is the true church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We were extremely happy! even more! she told us she was saving up to pay for her and Carlos' divorce so that they can be married and stop living in sin and so she can be baptized. YAH!!!! Maria We LOVE you! she is so strong. throuhg everything she is going through she still attributes all her many blessings to the Lord and is giving to him that which is his.
Next story: Elder Bramwell and I were tracting on sunday and having no luck until we decided to visit a house in which we saw earlier filled with a bunch of laughing, Drunk Mexicans. We said what the crud and stopped by. We found two of them sitting down and two boxes full of empty beer bottles and about fifteen epty can scattered about them. they were slobbering drunk. we walked up and said Hola and they, like all mexicans were mare than happy to sit us down next to them and talk. Jose and Lupe were their names. Lupe whipped out an ID card immediatley and I thought "don't worry we're not immigration" but we saw that the ID was from Utah. He then said that he was baptized in 2002.
Tears ran down his face and he choked out the word "ayudame" which means "help me"
He is an alcoholic and has felt the love of God and light of Christ but has fallen away. His companion also expressed his want to change for the sake of his family who has decided to leave him because of his incredible addiction. Both of them saw us the first time we passed by and decided to not to knock. as a result they decided to sit in the front yard and wait until we returned saying "we knew you would come to help us."
The spirit was felt so strongly by me and Elder Bramwell to help these poor men who have been caught by one of Satan's most strongest weapons.
Good week. That's about all the happenings.
I love you all! This church is true!!!
Love, Elder Richards
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